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Tears of Time (What If)
Episode is written by Storm_wolf01. (What if Annabeth was left to die under the Titan's Curse?) Featuring: Percy Jackson Annabeth Chase Thalia Grace Zoë Nightshade Luke Castellan Story: Percy was racing against time to save Annabeth. But what if he was too late? What if Annabeth, brave daughter of Athena, died from failing to free herself from the Titan's curse and from lifting the sky? This very plot will be presented in this episode, The Tears of Time, and where darkness falls upon Percy's world. Facing the Truth Percy had escaped the wrath of Ladon. Now they were in the misty summit of Mount Tamalpais, facing the ruins of what Thalia and Zoe called "Mount Othrys". Further away was Artemis, bound in her celestial bronze chains, and holding the sky. But where was Annabeth? "My lady!" Zoe rushed forward, but Artemis spoke, "Stop! It is a trap. You must leave now." Her voice was full of pain. Sweat drenched her pale figure. The weight of the sky was clearly too much for Artemis. Zoe had tears in her eyes. She sobbed and ran forward despite of Artemis' orders and tugged her chains, trying to set her free. Artemis saw Percy and her eyes suddenly were brimmed with tears and she cast him a look like she was saying sorry. A booming voice spoke behind them. "Ah, how touching." The group turned. The General was standing in his brown silk suit and at his side was Luke, his face seemed to be drained of color and there was something on his face Percy couldn't quite put. Beside Luke were half a dozen dracaenae bearing the golden sarcophagus of the Lord of Time, Kronos. But Annabeth was still unseen, missing. Thalia's face morphed into anger. On an impulse, she laid a hand on her silver bracelet that will transform into her shield, Aegis. "Luke," She snarled. "Where is Annabeth?" Without expecting it, Luke let out a cold, clear laugh. His scar rippled. The General also smirked, as if the two of them are sharing a deep, sinister secret. "Don't you know?" Luke spoke in a taunting voice. "She's dead. She died from lifting the sky." Thalia's face paled. "No," She said in a firm voice, as if she was trying to convince herself the words she had received from Luke were false. "You're lying." The General grunted. "Hardheaded demigods. That is why you are easily defeated. Like the girl." All the color from Percy's cheeks left him. "Is it true?" The General snapped his fingers, a sharp sound that echoed. Before Percy, a ring of clear, blue water surfaced. As Percy peered into it, he saw not his reflection, but instead, it was a scene from the past. Last Memories Artemis struggled against her chains and spat at a figure hidden in the shadows. "I will never lift the sky for you, you swine!" She cried. Luke glanced at her with a hint of a pleading look on his face. He was kneeling next to Annabeth, who was groaning and taking heavy breaths, her eyes half-closed and her body shivering in pain. "She's fading. We must hurry." He said. A deep voice chuckled. Percy realized it was the General who had spoken. A meaty hand thrust Artemis away from the shadows she had been hiding in. "You heard the boy." The General boomed. "Decide!" "Never." Artemis shook her head. "You lift the sky yourself, for it is your curse." The General only laughed. "Ah, how unmerciful you are, Artemis. It is not in your blood to leave a maiden under the heavy weight of the sky. If you want to save the frail girl, lift the sky for her." The goddess looked at Annabeth, whose lips were red with blood for biting it as the sky's weight became heavier. Her stone face softened and she seemed to be considering. But it was too late. With one fatal cry, Annabeth fell to the ground. The sky rumbled, threatening to fall, but a forceful strike against Artemis' face was strong enough to shift her position under the falling sky. Artemis' face was surprised and she raised her arms to support the sky's weight. Annabeth was heaving. Her injuries were overpowering her. The pain was too much to endure. She could feel her breaths ripped out from her body by force, her body weakening, her death nearing. Luke came up beside her. "Luke...." She rasped, her eyes fluttering. Her breath was slowing down and she shivered. "Percy.....My friends....." She whispered. She let out a final, shaky breath and closed her eyes forever. Her hand twitched, then her whole body became still. Luke lifted two fingers to feel her pulse. He became deathly still. He looked at Annabeth and his face was full of misery. Then he turned his head and watched as the General stepped out from the shadows with a stony face. "How is the girl?" The General asked. Luke choked and spoke, "She's dead." A vein in the General's face twitched and he said, "Bury her beside the ruins and do not speak of her again until her petty friends are here to claim her." The boy nodded weakly and carried Annabeth's body away. The Dawn and the Dusk "No...." Percy moaned, his sea-green eyes filling with tears. "Thi-this pool is a fake. It....it shows false memories. Annabeth isn't dead....she's....." His voice faltered. Luke nodded in satisfaction. "Believe it, Perce. I was there when she uttered her final words, when she had her last breath. Trust me, you're too late. There's no Annabeth now." Zoe bowed her head, kneeling beside Artemis, whose face was tear-stained. Thalia sobbed quietly on Percy's shirt, and Percy, who was trembling so harshly his sword, Riptide, clattered to the earth, looked as if he might commit his death from the cliff. The General laughed. "Take them to the dungeons." He commanded. "Let them rot there and we can charge Olympus. These are the greatest heroes of the age? Not much of a challenge. Huh! Soft-hearted mortals." He clapped his hands and the dracaenae gently dropped the sarcophagus on the earth and slithered towards Percy and his group. They tied their hands and pushed them forward, and they gave in, for their sadness made them quite disoriented. Zoe screamed. "I will not move a foot until I saw Artemis out of her chains!" The General frowned. "Leave the little traitor to me." Percy looked at Zoe, who was on the ground, badly-wounded and tears still on her cheeks. The General glimpsed him looking at the Huntress and grinned. "Leave us alone, Percy. She'll be alright, if she is behaved." "Liar." Percy spat. "This is a family matter, son of Poseidon. None of your business." The General snarled. "Family matter?" Percy raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Zoe, who flinched. "Yes....." Zoe whispered weakly. "Atlas is my father." Living Underground With a lot of forced shoves and torture, Percy and Thalia reached an opening carved on a jagged rock. The dracaenae hissed something at the Laistrygonian guards, and the giants uncrossed their javelins to let them pass. The tunnel was long and narrow, with earthen walls and a sloping trail. Percy knew they were heading for underground. Thalia was now free of tears. Her face was stony and she responded to every push and crack of whip. Once in awhile she glared at Percy, then turned her gaze to the downwards path they were going. Finally, they reached the underground dungeons: a corridor of rusted prison cells, smelly and a bit small. Torches of Greek fire lit the walls, but the place was still dark. A low growl can only be heard as a telkhine shifted his weight on his bed, snoring. Opening the tiniest prison cell that Percy has ever saw, the snake-women dumped him and Thalia on the floor, still bound in ropes. In the cell was a bed with thin sheets and a stiff mattress, a pile of hay, a lit candle, and a green tray. The wall was dotted with tiny holes, letting only a bit of sunlight to pass through. As the dracaenae padlocked the bars and slithered off, chatting in snake, Thalia shoved herself away from the tight space and immediately sat on the bed, glaring at Percy. She seemed really mad: her eyes bulging red, her fists clenched tightly. "You let her die." She whispered, audibly. Percy, who was trying to be free of his bonds, looked surprised. "What?" "Seaweed brain...." Thalia growled. "You let her die! If you truly care about her, you should have done everything for her! And instead you tagged along with us, playing with time, you idiot!" Percy didn't understand why this....Annabeth dying and all, is his fault. "You knew this all along, didn't you?" Thalia spat. The boy bit his lip. Actually, he had. But he had been thinking it wasn't real. It was maybe just the stress of trying to defeat time. He had been thinking it wasn't a demigod nightmare.....He didn't tell his friends. He thought it was a fake. But now, he knew he was wrong. Thalia was right. He was playing with time. Thalia slept on the bed quickly before Percy could react. So Percy was left with the musty pile of hay to be comfortable with for a nap. After a few hours, a telkhine, bigger than the one in the cell, brought an iron pot and a spoon. Percy was awake, the candle melting before his eyes. As the telkhine banged the pot with his spoon, Percy looked up and frowned. Food served by a monster is never good. He was right. The meal was a combination of green cheese, moldy and quite a bit hard, and gray noodles. Percy backed away to avoid the smell of the "food". After Thalia woke up, Percy was hoping she would forgive him and start working out plans how to escape and save Zoe. But Thalia remained stony and huddled on her bed, watching the sunlight (which somehow reached fifteen feet underground) grow dim as the sun set. She didn't even touch the food, or open her mouth to say something to herself. She just kept quiet and sometimes, Percy saw, she wiped a tear from her cheek. Soul Speaker Percy finally decided that Zoe was under torture by Atlas' hand and wept for her. It was five days now, and still, Thalia refused to talk with Percy. The fifth night, something happened, an event that puts some hope into Percy's heart. After the sunlights filtering through the holes dimmed, signaling sunset, and the awful dinner was put up in the tray, the telkhine across Percy's cell suddenly groaned and rose from his bed (the telkhine was sleeping nonstop for five days). He shuffled to the iron bars of his chamber and his form flickered. Percy gaped. The telkhine's body glowed more brightly. The monster form melted away, and there, in replacement, stood a ghost. Not just any ghost. The ghost looked familiar. It was a girl, with long hair and eyes Percy recognized. She seemed relaxed, but sad too, when she saw Percy and Thalia. "Hi, Percy." The voice of Annabeth spoke. Thalia's head turned when she heard her friend's voice. "Annabeth....?" She said, leaping out from the bed and approaching the end of the room. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw the ghost was Annabeth....tears of joy, tears of sadness. "Hi, Thalia." Annabeth smiled. Her form flickered. Percy rose from the pile of hay and joined Thalia. "Annabeth...can you ever forgive me?" He croaked as he held out his hands, as if he longed to hold her hand. Annabeth's face morphed into confusion. "For what? Oh Percy, you haven't done something against me at all." She smiled warmly. It was Percy's turn to be confused. "But...I failed to save you. It's my fault you died lifting the sky. My entire fault." He cast a brief look at Thalia, who was still sobbing silently, seeing the ghost of her friend, proving she was...she was....dead. Annabeth shook her head. "No, Percy. It was my soul who gave up on me for I lifted the sky with my own strength. Percy.....my death is my fate. No one is hold responsible. Oh Time could be confusing....." And she looked like she might cry. Thalia finally spoke in a shaky voice, "How does it feel like to finally be at rest?" "I feel peaceful...... Elysium is cool." Annabeth answered. "Um, I don't have much time now, Percy. Quick, don't just mope there." Annabeth looked ready to laugh. "You're the children of the Big Three. Do something to escape yourself off this prison. Thalia, fry off the bars with your lightning and..." Her figure began to wane. "Goodbye, Percy and Thalia. Go and bust some monsters for me...." Annabeth said and she disappeared. Escaping Thalia uttered a weak cry, but Annabeth was now gone. She wrung her head in grief until a hand patted her on the shoulder. Percy was there, pale-faced and also heavily saddened, his green eyes flecked with worry. "Are we going to-" He said quietly, turning his head to the bars so she can get the point. She stood up from her position in the bed and a little color came back in her cheeks. She faced Percy, who was choking. "I-" She began, but staring into Percy's eyes she knew there was no time. Zoe....as much as she hate the Hunter, she needed to save her. And stop Atlas from charging Olympus. She wiped the last of her tears and tried to gather her emotions. She let out a yell: an ear-splitting shout full of her anger, her sadness. Lightning flickered and struck the iron bars. Percy groaned and nearly fainted. Instead, he clapped his hands on his ears and slid down to the floor. Shards of metal impaled on the walls and the earthen floor. Thalia looked flushed as she stepped out, and a tingling sensation ran down her skin. Percy immediately started running, as if he knew where he was going. Thalia earnestly followed him, unsheathing her spear from the Mace canister in case of "problems." Soon, they were climbing an upwards slope Thalia found familiar. It was the very trail Percy and she had took with the dragon women when they were taken to be imprisoned. Thalia was half-surprised. She knew Percy was a terrible guide. Finally, light, not the Greek fire light from the torches, but natural sunlight, hit her face. She raised her head, feeling the warmth. They ran a few meters more, and the light became bigger and bigger, until they surfaced into the world again. Thalia was so happy she sobbed on Percy's shirt, and Percy shifted uncomfortably. Awkward, he thought. He had Riptide in his hand. He patted Thalia, who pulled herself away, suddenly looking like her old self. Her eyes flashed murderously at something, or someone behind Percy's back. Her face morphed into anger. "Luke." She growled. Percy turned, and Luke smirked at him, holding his sword, Backbiter. Behind him, was the scenic view of the sky swirling angrily atop the arms of Artemis. "So you escaped." He said, his voice showed amusement. "I didn't know you were that stupid, Luke." Percy taunted in a dangerous voice. "Watch your mouth, Jackson, or the General might kill your little friend." Luke jabbed a finger beside the ruins. A horrible throne stood proudly in the midst of two half-broken pillars, made out of fused weapons, some with dried blood stained on the blades. On it lounged, Atlas, smiling in a gruesome way. His eyes was focused on two jagged spires, where a girl, once beautiful and regal, and now sick-looking and terribly wounded, was struggling against her chains that bounded her to the spires. She was trying to reach the goddess, which is not a far way off, tears mixing with blood, crying, "Artemis, Artemis!" The girl was Zoe. Explosions "Let her go!" Percy, who tore his eyes away from that sickening sight, faced Luke, who was rocking back and forth so hard out of laughter. "You think we will?" He said, chuckling. He turned to Thalia, whose fists she clenched tighter until her knuckles turned purple. Her cheeks colored in anger. "Thalia.....listen. I know you want this. Summon the Ophiotaurus, and your friends and the goddess will be pardoned. They will be free. Meanwhile, we will rule the world along with the Titans, we will have the revenge we always wished against the gods. We will have the power we always wanted and hoped for. Just do what I said." Thalia's mad expression softed into a wistful one, as if she was giving in to what Luke said. Percy's eyes widened, and he screamed, "No!" Luke continued to tempt Thalia. He knew her weakness. "Don't go on being a slave to the gods, to your own father who didn't even help you in your life. Slay the beast, and we will tower over them.....we will become immortal gods ourselves!" Percy choked a few times, his sword shivering with his body. Then, he refocused on the problem. Thalia was going to leave his side and go over to Luke's. He couldn't have that. Annabeth was already lost from him. Certainly not Thalia now. Annabeth. Wait a minute. "Thalia!" Percy yelled once more. "Don't do it! Annabeth, remember Annabeth! She died for you, Thalia. She died to save you! If you're going to be a silly fool and go over to him, you're making her death useless! Thalia, listen!!" It worked. The wistful look vanished from her face. She blinked her eyes a few times and shook her head. She glared at Luke. "I'm not a slave." She said, unleashing her spear. "I'm a hero." Percy grinned. He had snapped Thalia out of it. "Aaargh!!" Luke roared. "Monsters! Kronos' Army! Kill them!!" The earth quaked, and from the horizon, a thousand monsters came into view. Atlas laughed and shifted in his seat, looking forward to the entertainment. Percy's jaw dropped. How could two weak demigods finish off an army of monsters? He faced Thalia with some hope of a support, and she just smiled at him, as if this was just a game. He found the courage to smile too. Thalia held out a hand and the sky began to darken. Lightning hit the ground, setting off quite an explosion among the army. Fires erupted out the back, and a cloud of dust burst out as monsters were hit and hit hard. Still, there were still many left. They were disgruntled for a moment, but then, they continued marching forward. Then it began to rain hard. Sky of Fire Drops of water bathed Percy's dark hair and soaked it within a few seconds. His breathing was deep yet shaky. A nervous excitement pounded on his chest. Riptide shivered in its position, the water hitting against the bronze and went splashing on Percy's hand. Thalia was giving herself a little smile at her little stunt. But she could feel a quarter of adrenaline slip away. Her eyes were focused on the charging army, and her left hand felt numb over the strap of her shield, Aegis. With her right hand, she grasped her spear tighter. Biting her lip in anticipation, she readied herself for battle. As the army was within point, Percy swung Riptide in a large, frightful arc, and the first line of monsters, a squad of dracaenae, burst into dust. Thalia snapped her fingers, and forks of lightning hailed from the sky, struck a small group of Giants square in their chests, and sent them flying twenty feet away, fortunately hitting against a standing slab of obsidian rock. They exploded and splattered sand over the heads of some monsters charging. Zoe, from afar, stopped crying for Artemis and watched the battle. Thick groups of monsters covered Percy, but he twirled like a ballerina, with Riptide slicing through flesh, and he covered his head using his arms to avoid the dust. He charged at a rogue Cyclops, who swung his club wildly at him, and he leaped over the club and brought his sword down over his head, slicing the monster in half. The Hunter, weak, managed a faint smile and wished she could join the fight. Thalia fought like a demon, using every bit of her lightning powers to turn the sky into a sea of rolling fire, and it flickered with electricity. Out of the thousand that fought, only a few left, but Percy was ready to surrender. Every part of him ached terribly. Riptide was held limply in his fist, and his face was flushed. Thalia held aloft her spear and stabbed a snake-woman in the heart. She leaped and kicked another in the chest. She was breathing fast, her heart palpitating. She held out her horrible shield, Aegis, and all the monsters fell back in terror. "Well, Luke?" She spat behind her, where the son of Hermes stood. He only shrugged, a hidden smile flickering on his lips. He pointed at Percy, who was sweating, his lips colored bright crimson with blood, the bronze of Anaklusmos swishing in a desperate sort of way. The fight was five on one, and powerful though he is, it seems the losing side is his. His eyes are wet with sweat....or maybe tears. He had wounds stretching to his elbow, and from his legs to his ankles. The Laistrygonian snickered as Percy dropped to one knee, clearly surrendering. His ears were ringing, his body malfunctioning. Death would be a wonderful rest for him. Yes, he is ready to welcome death, and maybe have Annabeth back in his hands. Then a silver blur deflected all the weapons and saved Percy. Silver Sphere Percy looked up, his face beaded with sweat, streaked with mud and blood. He had been expecting his soul to rip out from his body and travel to the depths of the Underworld by the weapons of the monsters. But no. Beside him, standing tall and strong, was Artemis. "How-" Atlas rose up from his throne, clearly confused. Sure, he was paying more attention to the war than the goddess lifting the sky and the Hunter chained to the rocks, but surely he would have known if the goddess have escaped under his nose...? Luke was shocked too. He was enjoying, awhile ago, Percy's near death, so he was oblivious to his surroundings. Now, Backbiter slipped from his grasp and his mouth fell wide open. Artemis smiled and nodded to the churning thunderclouds over at her left. Carrying the sky on the palms was... Thalia. Her face was distorted in pain and focus. She was kneeling, her knees embedded on the ground. She managed to look up and smiled at Artemis. She nodded slightly at Percy. Then, she flinched and bit her lip, stretching out her arms to prevent the sky from kissing the earth. Percy rose. "No...Thalia!" He screamed. I'm afraid to lose a friend again, ''he thought. He was ready to go to her and lift the sky himself, but a hand was placed on his shoulder. "Percy." Artemis said, yellow eyes glowing softly. "You must fight." The boy scowled and yelled, "No!" He started to run away, but Artemis' pat on his shoulder became a firm grasp that stopped him. "For Annabeth, Percy. And for Thalia. You must fight with me." The name of Annabeth shook Percy awake from his despair to save Thalia. ''Artemis ''is right, ''Percy thought. ''I must fight. I must fight for the sake of my friends. For the sake of the world. ''He nodded at Artemis and lifted Riptide. The monsters backed off. Luke growled. The General smirked crookedly. "The battle for Olympus starts now." Artemis proclaimed as she drew her daggers, hair swept by the wind, eyes shining in the light of the setting sun. She grinned back at Atlas. Instantly, Percy closed his eyes and Artemis burst into a glowing silver sphere of energy. Category:Fan Fiction Category:What If Category:Storm Legends Category:Storm wolf01